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5 of the Coolest GIF Artists Around

Cortney Clift·Oct 8, 2014

Long gone are the days when GIFs were short, silly animations covering the pages of Tumblr. These simple moving images are now beginning to transform from a quick internet laugh to a lasting form of artistic expression. Everyone from illustrators to videographers is creating stop-motion video clips and even full-blown animation in this short and sweet file format. Take a look at these five GIPHY artists who are turning GIFs into an eye-catching art form, and start following this new school of Internet artists asap!

1. Julian Glander: Glander’s GIFs look bright and maybe a little silly at first. But after a closer look most of them seem to have an underlying message about our culture and the media-crazed society we’re living in. In an interview he tells GIPHY, “I don’t set out to make ‘funny’ or ‘goofy’ work but if I make something that doesn’t amuse me it usually goes in the trash.” We’re captivated by his mix of whimsical color and punk rock attitude.

2. Laurén Boglio: Boglio’s pieces are simple, moody and evoke a world where ’90s teen queen Daria would have fit right in. Most of her work is in black and white, and focused on quirky characters. She tells GIPHY her obsession with moving art probably began with the Harry Potter movies. “I like the idea that you can have people living inside a frame like small human pets.” From pom-pom waving cheerleaders to dancing cityscapes, Boglio creates a stylish world we kind of wish we could just jump into.

3. Chromasy (AKA Benjamin Charles): So long, Earth! We’re trading you in for this psychedelic world of rainbow arches and trippy neon lights. If you felt Boglio’s images were lacking in color, Chromasy’s creations will more than make up the difference. His work is intriguing, mysterious and kind of reminds us of a Tron-like universe.

4. The Barkers: Chicago-based husband and wife Chris and Kristen are the dynamic duo behind this inventive GIF brand. The Barkers tell GIPHY, “We started making GIFs to show clips of longform videos we were creating for review. Then it kinda just snowballed. We got hooked and started playing with all of the different ways you can make a GIF.” The Barkers use both video and still photos to create different effects, all of which are utterly captivating + super stylish.

5. Maori Sakai: If you woke up on the wrong side of the bed, take a peek at Sakai’s sweet GIFs for an instant mood booster. Her charming, imperfect sketches feel less like a tech-enhanced image and more like you’re getting a sneaky look inside someone’s magical, animated diary. From falling leaves to dancing coffee machines, her images will have you immediately transfixed and swooning.

Do you love any GIF artists we should know about? Share a link to their work below!